Arnie: Pot is not a drug, it’s a leaf

The Hollywood actor turned governor of California was pictured smoking dope in his 1970s bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron but, in a new magazine interview, he says: ‘I didn’t take any drugs.’

Arnold Schwarzenegger: ‘Pot is safe’

When the former actor was reminded he had smoked marijuana, he replied: ‘That is not a drug. It’s a leaf. My drug was pumping iron, trust me.’

The Terminator star also refused to condemn politicians who took class Adrugs, saying it was not necessarily a matter of public interest.

‘What would you rather have? A politician taking stuff and not saying, but making the best decisions and improving things? Or a politician who names all the drugs he or she has taken but makes lousy decisions?’ he asked.

The 60-year-old also named Tony Blair as one of the greatest leaders in history.

He included the former Prime Minister in a list alongside Nelson Mandela, John F Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev – he was less enthusiastic about president Bush. The full interview is in the December issue of GQ, out later this week.